Tesla and its billionaire CEO Elon Musk are about to throw a giant party Thursday to celebrate their arrival in Austin — an invitation-only bash that is expected to include music, fireworks and a peek inside the automakers’ new $1.1 billion manufacturing facility for those lucky enough to score admission.
As many as 15,000 people could be attending the event, dubbed the “Cyber Rodeo” by Musk, which will serve as a grand opening celebration for Tesla’s operations in Austin.
The event is a milestone moment, said Dan Ives, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, for both Tesla and Austin, which has become the company’s center of operations. Tesla late last year confirmed that in addition to its huge new manufacturing plant, it has also moved its corporate headquarters to Austin.
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“It’s significant. It’s a historical event for Tesla. It’s important from a production perspective with Model Y production and also doubling down on its U.S. footprint,” Ives said. “Austin for Tesla is not just its headquarters for tax status. It’s where more and more of its DNA of Tesla is going to be gathered. The rodeo signifies really a new beginning for Tesla in Austin.”
The celebration comes not quite two years after Musk announced in July 2020 that Tesla had selected a site in southeastern Travis County to build its new facility, which Musk has said could eventually employ up to 10,000 people. Construction moved swiftly on the plant, and Tesla confirmed in January that it has started to produce its Model Y SUV at the site. It also has said it eventually will produce its Cybertruck, Semi and Model 3 compact sedan there.
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Details still sketchy
Even on Wednesday, just a day before the grand opening celebration in Austin, it was not entirely clear what Tesla’s “Cyber Rodeo” will entail. The company has not responded to multiple interview requests from the American-Statesman, and it has said very little publicly. Most of the details that are known about the event come from social media, event permits and a brief FAQ page by Tesla.
The event could be similar to the Giga Fest at Tesla’s factory in Berlin, Germany, which the company recently hosted, that included music, food, games, a big Ferris wheel and an appearance by Musk.
The name Cyber Rodeo, which was revealed by Musk on Twitter, could be a nod to the Cybertruck, which will eventually be produced in Austin, or it could just be Musk’s penchant for using such tech-focused words as cyber.
Musk has dropped some hints about the event, primarily on Twitter. In October, he said he might host a massive barbecue, and in December he said the company would host a grand opening party in early 2022, with no dates or details. In late February, Musk tweeted out the April date.
In March, Tesla representatives provided limited details to the Travis County Commissioners Court, which was considering the company’s request for an event permit. At the time, Tesla’s Logan Grant did not say how many attendees were expected but did say the company was working to finish its invitations list. At the hearing, Travis County Fire Marshal Tony Callaway said the company was considering a fireworks show.
According to Tesla’s permit, the event will include interactive tours and there will be food, alcohol and live entertainment. Plans called for a primarily indoor event, with about 70% of attendees inside the facility and the other 30% outside. Attendees would have the option of off-site parking with shuttles that will take them to the event.
Tesla’s FAQ page on the event says the doors will open at 4 p.m., and remarks will begin at sunset, which should be around 8 p.m. No re-entry will be allowed, and tickets are not transferable. The event is expected to run until about 11:30 p.m. The FAQs also say the event is for adults only, in contrast to the event permit, which had said that children would be allowed to attend.
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‘The Willy Wonka ticket’
It hasn’t been clear how Tesla is deciding who gets an invitation or what the criteria might be for receiving one. Attendees, including local Tesla owners, have received emailed invites from the company in waves in recent weeks.
Matt Holm, president of the Tesla Owners Club of Austin, is among those who made the cut. He said he got his ticket emailed to him on a Friday around midnight about two weeks ago. He said the event is exclusive, with lots of people in the local owner’s club still hoping to get a last-minute invite.
Elon Musk’s “event is the worldwide ticket, the golden ticket, the Willy Wonka ticket that everybody wants. People are clamoring for tickets,” Holm said. “Elon throws an amazing party.”
Holm said the event has created excitement internationally, with people planning to come to Austin even if they did not get a ticket.
“We’re all super excited. This is not just one factory; this is all things Elon coming in this direction. And it’s going to be the epicenter for this world,” Holm said.
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Holm helped start the local Tesla owners club in 2013, the same year he got his first Tesla. The club is holding its own cars-and-coffee style fan event this week, called Tesla Con Texas, with a series of events and a main gathering Friday.
The event is expected to draw 1,500 Tesla fans and will feature speakers, panelists and food. The club is also hoping to gather as many Teslas as possible at the event in an attempt to break the world record for most Tesla vehicles in one place.
“We have a bunch of friends who are in the YouTube and podcast space that we’ve invited that you probably wouldn’t know if you weren’t a diehard Tesla/Elon fan, but they’re well known in our group,” Holm said.
The 1,500 tickets available for presale have already sold out for Tesla Con Texas’ main event, which will be held at the Concourse Project in Southeast Austin on Friday. Limited tickets are also available at the door. Funds raised by the event will go to Austin’s Community First Village.
“The main focus — and we’re not trying to take away from it — is the ‘Cyber Rodeo,’” Holm said. “We are here in support of all things Tesla.”
Even Austinites not attending the official or unofficial Tesla-centric events are likely to encounter traffic from the event, and lots of Teslas will be around, especially Thursday night in the Del Valle area.
With as many as 15,000 people flocking to the Tesla factory site, traffic could be busier than usual in the area, which is near Texas 130 and Tesla Road, which was formerly known as Harold Green Road.
Due to the “Cyber Rodeo” event, the Del Valle school district is allowing students to leave early on Thursday due to anticipated traffic. Middle schools will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m., elementary schools at 1:45 p.m., Del Valle High School, DAEP and the Del Valle Opportunity Center will dismiss at 3 p.m.
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